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Wed, 13 May 2015 19:20:29 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Steelergurlhttps://feedburner.google.comPats fans are the only ones who love #TomShadyhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Steelergurl/~3/bVWcNJ-7F_0/
http://steelergurl.com/?p=56#commentsWed, 13 May 2015 19:20:29 +0000http://steelergurl.com/?p=56I hate the Patriots. If you know me, you already are aware of that.

There is no other quarterback quite as capable of shredding the Steelers secondary in the same way Tom Brady can. He makes those guys look like Pop Warner kids playing against grown men. It’s embarrassing and I hate them. (I don’t hate the Ravens nearly as much as I hate the Pats)

But clearly, I am not the only one.

billboard created by Jets fans

Looks like Jets fans feel the same. As do the other 31 teams’ fans. The higher they fly, the harder they fall. The crown prince has fallen and we all couldn’t be happier.

But don’t all teams try to find that edge? The competitive advantage? The thing about this situation is that the Patriots have already been down this road and got caught. So, is this really about “deflated balls” or is it about a pattern of cheating? I will have to go with the latter.

That said, the NFL needs to take a fresh look at punishments handed down and how they are determined and also, how that is communicated to the fans. Meaning, we should not have to guess what a punishment would be on any given issue.

The punishment for Ben should not have been more than the punishment for Ray Rice.

The punishment for the Patriots should not be less than what it was for the Saints.

At least that’s my opinion. I’m a fan. I hope that the integrity of the game is now in tact.

Antonio Brown didn’t show up for OTAs and everyone everywhere has decided he’s holding out.

But is he?

Or is he really just taking paternity leave of sorts and spending time with his newborn child?

I agree with those who think he’s underpaid based on his performance and compared to other receivers. However, in 2012, he signed a 6 year deal. The Steelers aren’t going to renegotiate that deal yet. I am sure, if he performs again this fall he will get a fair deal. But that’s a season away.

Now that being said, how did this rumor even get started? The news outlets that reached out to Brown’s agent (Drew Rosenhaus) said he did not comment. Brown was tweeting that he’ll be there. That he’s looking forward to being with his teammates. And then finally he tweeted he’s spending time with his newborn child.

So, did someone make all this up? Or they just “assumed” because he wasn’t at OTAs? And then in the all quick scramble to have the news first, everyone rushed to write a story, any story?

I don’t know. First of all, this isn’t really ABs style. Since his rookie season he’s stayed in Pittsburgh for the majority of his off-season training time. He was rewarded for outstanding play with a nice contract. And yes, I think he should get some more dollars. However, do you think he didn’t see what happened to Mike Wallace and then Emmanuel Sanders? Yeah, they got contracts, but Wallace had nothing else but the money in Miami and Sanders has had an ok time in Denver, but I don’t think he’s still reached the potential they thought he would (for the record, I think this year is Es year). I just don’t see AB as the hold out drama king type. Rosenhaus, yes. But I don’t see AB doing that, especially since he already knows the Steelers don’t play that game well. Having a conversation. A business conversation as adults will work out much better. Ben surely didn’t take his last contract negotiations public and put the full diva on display and I definitely don’t see AB doing that either.

So, let’s step back, away from the keyboard and relax.

AB will be there. He might renegotiate a new contract, but he’ll be there.

And if he’s not, you can bring me back to this post and roast me on twitter. I’m pretty sure I am right on this one.

]]>http://steelergurl.com/?feed=rss2&p=510http://steelergurl.com/?p=51Goodbye to a Great: Polamalu Retires After 12 Seasons With the Steelershttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Steelergurl/~3/z9ytlBZo7cQ/
http://steelergurl.com/?p=46#commentsFri, 10 Apr 2015 13:48:44 +0000http://steelergurl.com/?p=46It’s a sad day in Steeler nation. A day we knew would come, but while we are all understanding that Troy hasn’t been as fast or as effective the last few years, it’s hard to say goodbye to such a great player. And a wonderful man.

Always a Steeler. Always one of the greatest to play the game.

My friend Ginny has it right:

With so many off the field issues across the NFL, Troy remained to be one of the classiest, family-oriented human beings to ever step foot on the field. And on top of that, an amazing player.

His stats are ridiculous and should lead to a first ballot HOF place in history.

8 time pro-bowler

2 Super Bowl wins

771 tackles

32 interceptions

thirty-two!!!

and 12 sacks.

I remember asking Peyton Manning once how he felt lining up and seeing Troy on the other side – his response: Troy is one of the nicest guys, soft-spoken and so humble, yet plays like a beast.

We have been blessed to have had him on our team for the last 12 years.

A friend of mine was a coach with the Ravens when Troy was in his draft year. He visited the Ravens and they would have loved to have had him. Luckily, they didn’t get him. And no one will ever forget that AFC Championship game pick-6 against the Ravens.

With the number of concussions that Troy has suffered throughout his career, in some ways, I think it’s good that he’s now focused 100% on his family and we’ll all pray that he won’t suffer from the brain injuries caused by repeated concussions. I hate to even think about it, but it’s the reality of the game and the research shows it. We all loved his style of play, but it also meant getting his bell rung a few times. Fearless on the field.

We will all miss him. But I know I am looking forward to the next generation – yes, I am looking at you, Shamarko – living up to his expectations and what he taught those young guys the last couple years.

Love you Troy! Thanks for the memories.

]]>http://steelergurl.com/?feed=rss2&p=460http://steelergurl.com/?p=46Majoring in………….football? basketball?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Steelergurl/~3/AguLyCOb5u0/
http://steelergurl.com/?p=42#commentsWed, 08 Apr 2015 17:35:17 +0000http://steelergurl.com/?p=42This is going to be a little controversial, but it’s something I have been thinking about for a while, especially the last couple weeks as March Madness has been in full effect.

The last two nights as we watched the Duke and UConn celebrate their great wins, have any of you wondered how they did on that math test or their history test or even when they might have been studying? Or when did they even go to class in the last couple weeks? You probably haven’t thought about that. But with a month left at school, they have likely missed 2 weeks of classes – how do you make that time up?

The last few years the term “student-athlete” has stirred great debate. Should they get a stipend for their time or shouldn’t they? There have been many that scream about their “free education” and others (me included) that scream about their “free labor” making the universities they represent millions upon millions of dollars.

Before you get all uppity and say how stupid that is, let’s talk about music majors as a comparison. Hear me out before you make a judgment on this.

First of all, if you haven’t played a sport in college at the D1 level, then you already are at a disadvantage because you don’t understand the time commitment that goes into preparing for a game. (I haven’t played, but my son has and I know what his schedule was like).

It’s not just practice, it’s film study and meetings as well. They have to know the playcalls, the concepts, understand the competition…oh and yeah, in their “free time” study for that econ test and do all the same work the other students are doing, but I digress.

For the sake of this post, I ONLY am looking at top music schools that also have D1 football programs (I’m using football here because that’s my world but same can be said for basketball or other sports). We will look at USC, Indiana University and University of Michigan.

For each of those music programs, you have to audition before you are accepted. Compare that to recruiting and essentially auditioning for a spot on a team, similar, right? Not everyone can major in music. Not everyone can play on a football team. Or a basketball team.

Now let’s look at degree requirements.

Each of the 3 schools had general education requirements for music majors. I looked at performance, string, and jazz degrees – one at each school. And all of them had performance classes that had to be taken each semester. They also had classes related to the specific major. So, voice, for example, you would take your performance class (3 cr) and voice training (3-6 cr ) each semester. Same for string. You have your performance 3 credits each semester and then your practice/instruction credit hours. Jazz was a little different but requires 38 credits of jazz courses related to history, music theory, and keyboards and singing. Then jazz also had some limited general education requirements in writing, math and language arts (e.g. speaking a foreign language).

So, let’s apply that to a sport. If you are required to take the gen ed classes that every bachelor’s degree requires – 6 credits in English/writing, 6 credits in math, 6 credits in a history and 6 in a science (generally speaking, these are the core classes, yes?) then why can’t performance be equal to game time? Why can’t film study be equal to voice training or individual instruction (coaching) just like the voice major?

I’ve heard people say, “What besides a gym credit would work for a sport?”

Look, the time issue is a problem. It really is. And paying players a stipend will help make them feel better, but in reality, the problem is time and money won’t solve that. Sure, I can hear the doubters come back to me with, “But what kind of job would majoring in their sport lead to?”

Well, coaching for one. Obviously, most players want to play in the NFL and not all will. But that doesn’t mean their degree is worthless. A college degree is better than no degree.

Besides, how many times have you heard of people not working in the field in which they got their bachelors degree (and I am one of them)?

And how many of you have heard employers say they like to hire athletes because they understand team work and they are dedicated – they don’t often say they hire student athletes because they majored in……I don’t know…political science (what does that even mean, anyway?)

And if you compare that to the music major – their goal is to get a job in a symphony orchestra, on Broadway, as a singer, or as a dancer/performer. There are limited opportunities for that and you must be in the top of your specific focus. So, again, how is this much different from being a high level athlete?

For those student-athletes who want to major in something besides their sport, I think they could, why not? There are minors in music, and there could be minors in a sport.

But for those athletes who really want to become the best at their sport, have the talent to do it, why make them major in…I don’t know….business, only to take classes they aren’t interested in and have no time for and then hold them to an academic standard that is damn near impossible without that time factor.

Yes, I know many of you will argue that student-athletes are getting good grades. Some of them are, yes. Still, there are a lot of scandals around academics. If you asked the student-athletes, I bet they would say if they had more “time” they would do better.

This argument here isn’t just about grade,s but more about the comparison.

If “performance” is a major for others at the University and they can hone their craft and study to get better at what they are “performing” and that’s supported – why isn’t that same idea supported for athletes who want to get better at their “performance?”

So………….what do you all think?

Here are links to the degree requirements for the 3 music schools mentioned, just in case you would like to peruse for yourself:

It’s amazing what adding a playoff system can do to a sport and conference.

I’m a B1G fan. And I am thrilled to see that a championship in both football and basketball could be possible in the same year.

#GoBadgers!

For years, the B1G has been dissed as a weak conference – especially in football.

People will continue to say that the bottom of the conference is weak and so while the top teams can compete, the bottom can’t. My response? When is the last time Vandy or Arkansas competed for the top spot? Or Washington State or Colorado?

That argument is weak. How about that?

The B1G deserves some respect. No, you aren’t going to get the showboating that happens in some other conferences, but you know what? In football, you get smashmouth. Sometimes you get a boring game, depending on what you like.

And in basketball, you will have your Michigan’s and Michigan State’s. And guess what, how about Wisconsin?

The ACC is such a better basketball conference, the naysayers will say. So outside of Duke and UNC year in and year out, where are the rest?

(Sorry, my Pitt Panthers, you should be in this conversation, but alas, you aren’t.)

The argument that the B1G is a weak conference just doesn’t stand. Not anymore.

Think differently? Feel free to leave comments

]]>http://steelergurl.com/?feed=rss2&p=390http://steelergurl.com/?p=39So, here’s the thing about being a football mom…http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Steelergurl/~3/fCcb-UmYXOU/
http://steelergurl.com/?p=35#commentsSun, 05 Apr 2015 14:21:17 +0000http://steelergurl.com/?p=35You don’t always know what you will need and when.

For example, 3 weeks ago the kid comes home from college for spring break and forgot his cleats. Had NO cleats at the house, but had training. So, what do we do? We head to Dick’s because surely they will have cleats, right? Well, they did, but only one pair in a size 13 and they were hidden in the back. There was not one football cleat out for sale. Luckily, we were able to grab that pair.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. During the off-season between the kid’s junior and senior year he was playing 7-on-7 and training non-stop to get ready for his senior season and desperately needed new cleats twice during that winter/spring. No football cleats anywhere to be found. We bought 2 pairs of Lacrosse cleats which are very similar, but still, why no football?

So, yesterday, the kid needs some pads for and practice pants so again we head to Dick’s. (We had already visited Sports Authority the day before to no avail – and Modell’s too) And once again, nothing. There were two racks of youth football gear but absolutely no adult. No adult anything. Nothing. So, I ask an employee and he says to me, “We only have what was left over from the fall and we don’t get as much football gear because it’s a dying sport.”

DYING SPORT?

Really?

He says, “There is a lot of research that shows kids aren’t playing football anymore because of the concussion issue.”

Ok, yes, I have seen that information as well, but that won’t really impact the sport for another 10 years or so and even then, how MUCH of an impact it will have is still controversial in some ways.

WHAT ABOUT NOW?

You know who’s not playing football in the off-season? Youth.

Pop Warner kids aren’t playing in the off-season, yet that’s the gear Dick’s had in store.

Yeah yeah, I could have ordered what I needed online had I KNOWN a week ago what the kid needed.

It never works like that. Is no buyer at Dick’s the parent of a teenager? They don’t tell you anything until the last minute. For example, those cleats he needed? He needed them to play on a Sunday but we weren’t even able to go get them til that same Sunday??!!

The point of all this is that I have spent loads of dollars at Dick’s over the years. I am sure of they went through my purchases linked to my name, they would see the value of my buying at their store. Instead, I was forced to shop at a new store, one that caters to football players (and other sports) all year round and had a load of gear. And honestly, those cleats that he bought a few weeks ago were $30+ cheaper at this store. Exactly the same, too. Nike Vapors.

(For all your football mom’s in the Maryland area: http://leagueoutfitters.com/ )

From a business perspective, maybe Dick’s doesn’t really care about my money. Maybe they sell so much other stuff that my $100 or $200 or even $300 here and there doesn’t really matter, but carrying even just a few basics all year round would really make such a difference – I would have never even thought about finding a different sports store to buy from – but at this point, I wish I knew about the other spot about 4 years ago. Would have saved me a lot of drama during the off-season. And unfortunately, would have forced me to NOT shop at Dick’s at all.

I appreciate that Dick’s did try to help, but I’m not sure it will make that much of a difference, this is my 3rd year asking them to stock more in the off-season with no more than this type of comment:

And while I get that I “could” order things online, sometimes due to timing, it just doesn’t work out that way.

Thanks for reading through my rant about Dick’s – The real purpose is that consumers really just don’t matter anymore, I guess. I can’t possibly be the only person looking for football gear in the off-season. And do you really think that football is a dying sport?

I think that kids who would have potentially played casually as part of a team growing up may not play in the future, but I don’t see the sport going away anytime soon. Maybe college kids won’t strive to be NFL players, but while they can still get a free education, I just don’t see them not playing at all, if they love the game.

I worry about concussions just as much as the next person, but that’s also why I spend a lot of money on gear. My kid had his own helmet in high school and he has his own pads. He’s never had a concussion during the game with pads on (though suffered a couple playing 7-on-7). In the effort to make the game more “safe,” I think there are now more injuries to knees and legs.

This is an interesting debate, though, and we’ll see what happens in about 10 years time. But for now, how hard is it really to just buy some football gear during the off-season?

Apparently, very difficult.

**This isn’t just a rant about Dick’s, though I guess it kinda is. The thing is Sports Authority and Modell’s didn’t have any gear either. All the major sports retailers had nada, zip, nothing. So, it’s not just Dick’s. Thing is, Dick’s DOES have the best supply DURING the season, so you would think that during the off-season they would also carry some basics. No one does. No one. It makes no damn sense.

Sure, Martavis Bryant did end up having a great year despite not being active the first half the season. The only reason I would think Wheaton would be on the trade table is if there was a greater need on the Steelers that can’t be found in the draft and they can fill it from a team that needed a WR.

Having 3 good WRs on an active roster is pretty normal, yes? Yes.

There has to be an underlying reason, IF the rumor is true, that has nothing to do with Wheaton’s performance but more about his overall value.

Another reason I can’t wrap my head around this being true is when is the last time the Steelers traded a solid player to get a solid player? I just can’t think of a trade situation where that happened. And even when Holmes was traded, he was traded for draft picks.

I see Wheaton as more valuable than draft picks. What happened to the three Bs afterall? Or 4 if you count Ben?

Maybe I am completely off base with not trusting this rumor, it just doesn’t sound very “steeler-esque.” I could see him being a free agent and testing the market for money at the end of his contract, but I just don’t see a trade.

If there’s a WR on the roster who I think needs to prove himself, it’s Dri Archer. He’s fast, yes. But unless he gets his hands on the ball, I don’t see why he’s necessary in this offense. If you aren’t on the field, who cares how fast you are? And a running back he’s not. Not in this league. He’s too small. I’m wondering, though, why he doesn’t get some of the return duties. I would rather see him try his hand at that rather than risk Brown being injured. If he’s on the active roster this year, I hope that there’s a reason.

For now, though, I don’t see this rumor having any weight, but perhaps there’s a target in the draft that the Steelers want to be sure to grab so they are looking for extra draft picks. I can’t think who is worth dropping Wheaton, but I have been wrong before. Right now, though, I just don’t think this rumor has merit.

The NFL gets something right. (at least according to the Baltimore Sun)

Congratulations Sarah Thomas.

Women are more than just cheerleaders. We are fans.

We know the game just as well as anyone else (and sometimes better, try me).

It’s about time that the NFL start adding women to roles that have been primarily held my men. There’s absolutely nothing that says only a man knows the rules to the game of football. Thomas has already been officiating in the B1G. She started her career officiating high school games and has worked her way up, just like a man.

I was listening to “The Herd” this morning and while Colin was happy to break the news, I also felt the conversation about how he would have to man the phones (see what I did there) for an hour just to take all the calls on men who don’t think a woman should be officiating, was just adding to the misogynistic attitude of the men who listen to his show. (Hey Colin, I was listening, and I am not a man, but usually I am at work!)

I’m not going to let those goofballs out there ruin this great accomplishment though, it’s about time the league recognizes that half the fans are women, and on the other half, we probably control what money they spend on football anyway – so purse strings? Yeah, we own them.

But today, I give a big thumbs up for this hire. Good move, NFL, good move.

But here I am. The draft is right around the corner. It’s hard to believe this will make the 7th year I have covered a draft on this blog. Unfortunately, all that history is gone. But things happen for a reason, right?

I’ve had a lot of fun covering the draft over the years, especially those times I actually got to attend in person – that is til Jason LaCanfora started tweeting out the picks before the Commish announced them – which means you knew at home before we knew in the room! Took all the fun out of being there in person in my opinion.

But now that I am back in “independent” status, I promise to write more frequently about football, the NFL, sports business, and even the NCAA and college football.